OPINION: Dougie Freedman deserves respect for his work at Nottingham Forest

Lee Clarke

The circus has arrived in Nottingham once more and has pitched up right on the banks of the River Trent – more precisely, the City Ground.

Dougie Freedman is by no means the best manager in the world but as we reflect on yet another manager biting the Nottingham Forest managerial dust, respect must be handed to a man who worked tirelessly to give the Reds some much needed stability.

His signings in large deserve immense credit and I can’t help but think we will miss this in the future.

Okay so the likes of Chris O’Grady and Liam Trotter have been poor pieces of business, but let’s not forget he has found two solid left-backs during his tenure. Something which the club haven’t been able to find for the last ten years.

The willingness for Freedman to get the likes of Jorge Grant and Oliver Burke – both academy graduates – into the first-team fold is also a major plus and is something I give him gratification for.

Freedman has by no means been the messiah, the saviour, the next Brian Clough, but fans slating him as an absolute joke need to take stock and get their heads in the real world for five minutes.

It was not the ex-Bolton boss’ fault that the club is operating under a transfer embargo, with that blame laying firmly at the door of all that came before him and of course not forgetting the chairman.

Fawaz Al Hasawi’s timing is once again horrible. Would it have really hurt to let Dougie see the season out?

Appointing Paul Williams as the new boss until the end of the season is comical and leaves the club in disarray, ahead of a tough week which features away games at Hull City and Derby County.

The next managerial appointment needs to be the right one and I only hope the incoming candidate possesses as much commitment to the club as Freedman showed. I wish him well for the future.